Such extremes are why I love segmentation work – what are the dimensions that really polarise opinions, and how do you turn them into simple questions to ask consumers? A great segmentation comes from knowledge and understanding of the potential differentiators, expert data analysis to quantify and link them, rounded off with a dose of common-sense.

I like to think of segmentation as the spider sitting at the centre of the marketing web. It has created the web in the first place, it uses it to catch its target, and it will dash out and fix any holes, joining things back together again at a moment’s notice.   Spiders and segmentation – a bit like Venice, you either love ‘em or hate ‘em!

One of the main ways we can use what we have is to focus on getting the most out of existing customer and enquirer databases.  A recent study by Gyro International claims that 83% of marketers see building stronger relationships with their consumers as key to surviving the credit crunch, whilst only 2% are considering cutting their investment in CRM.  Existing databases often provide the key to acquiring new customers too – profiling, segmentation and the building of scorecard models can give new insight into where to look for future high value prospects.  Interestingly, much of my work is centred in this area at the moment, so this need is certainly resonating in the industry.

Another way to ‘use what you have’ is to make the most of networks and resources.  I’m a member of the Marketing Society and a fellow of the IDM.  I pay my annual fees, so I owe it to myself to get value from them: attending events, catching up with colleagues, reading the journals and logging on to pick up nuggets of information and news from their websites. (OK, you may have lost your password, but it only takes a few seconds to request a reminder!) 

Don’t overlook your own corporate memory either.  Take a look back in the files at your organisation’s best case studies and award entries. Dig out results reviews and research reports from the past couple of years and refresh your take on them.  Re-reading them in the light of what you know now just might spark some fresh thinking.

And finally, don’t just use what you have, but use what’s freely available – there is a wealth of insight out there on the internet to stimulate new ideas and prompt and prod us into things to test in search of improved results and breakthroughs. It could be anything from news articles to trendspotting to checking what your competitors are up to – it’s all there at our keyboard tip.  If you don’t already have it, chances are, someone else does – and they may be willing to share it!

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In such a mood the other day, I came across this tongue in cheek guide to how to survive the recession – mainly by carrying on doing what we already do well anyway…

http://jezebel.com/5063647/the-complete-idiots-guide-to-the-recession

The above must sound really obvious to anyone in marketing.  So why is it becoming more and more common that organisations only ask for email address at point of data-capture?  It tells you so little – if they are called ‘Chris’ you don’t even know if they are male or female! Transparency builds trust, so asking a few more key questions at this point will get the relationship off to a good start for both parties.  The individual will know what information they have provided, in the expectation that the organisation will then send them timely and relevant communications in future.  The organisation benefits because it has data to help it to understand its customers better, and information around which to build future marketing communications programmes.

OK, some individuals may choose not to provide the additional information, or may duck out of the process altogether.  But I bet you that they are the ones who are more interested in the sign-up incentive and less interested in the organisation’s products or services!

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In the past couple of weeks, I’ve received two mailings using a very similar creative idea.  The first a Dine Around offer from Amex - every time I use my card to pay for a meal in selected restaurants I will be entered into a prize draw to win a holiday.  A good offer, but the execution let it down: a long, large envelope contained a much smaller folded piece, which it took me a moment to realise was supposed to be a napkin.  It was just a folded piece of card at first glance. 

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Around about the same time I received a mailing from The Marketing Society about the annual Scottish dinner.  This was a standard size envelope, but contained a real paper napkin, overprinted with a call to action to book.  Excellent production values – putting the Amex piece to shame. And I wonder if it was that much more expensive to produce?  

Last week I received a simply addressed letter.  I mean really simply addressed – my name wasn’t on it, the company name wasn’t on it, there was literally just the address.  I assumed it was from a company with which I had no relationship.  How wrong I was!  I opened it and found the letter started ‘Dear Customer’. It was from HSBC, my business bank.  Not only that, but they wanted something from me: it was a questionnaire asking for my very important feedback.  Well, Mr ‘Head of Customer Experience’ at HSBC, here is my feedback – rule number one is address your customers personally.  It’s really not that hard to do.